CANBERRA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Australia will look at buying
24 more Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets in the event of any
major new setbacks to the controversial Lockheed Martin
Joint Strike Fighter project, Defence Minister Stephen Smith
said on Thursday.

That means Australia could buy fewer stealth F-35 Joint
Strike Fighters than originally planned and is another sign that
development partners are growing frustrated by delays and cost
overruns to the $396 billion programme, which is the costliest
programme in Pentagon procurement history.

The announcement comes a day after Canada also said it would
look to other options for its jet fighters due to mounting
concerns over the development and cost of the F-35s.
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"Australia's air combat capability is a vital part of our
national security framework. The government will not allow a gap
in our air combat capability to occur," Smith said on Thursday.

Australia foreshadowed the decision in May, when it delayed
orders for its first squadron of F-35s by two years to help with
budget savings and to put Australia's F-35s on the same
timetable as those for the United States.
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